|
The Siamese is one of the oldest breeds of pedigree cat, and over
the years many stories have been told about it, for the most part
romantic fables, but perhaps there is an element of truth in some
of them. Certainly, they add to the charm of this most exotic
oriental and somewhat inscrutable breed….
HISTORY and ROMANCE with legends and Myths
Of all the pedigree varieties, the Siamese is the most instantly
recognizable. Long, lithe and elegant, with its distinctive darker
‘points’, it has always had great appeal.
Early Siamese tended to have eye squints and kinked tails, now
regarded as serious faults, but with careful, selective breeding
they have been mainly eliminated from the modern cat. Yet, these
characteristics were one so prevalent that fables exist to this
day ‘explaining’ how they were acquired.
It is said that Siamese cats were once sacred cats, guarding the
Buddhist temples. One day, a valuable goblet went missing and a
pair of the cats was dispatched to find the stolen treasure. After
a long journey, the goblet was discovered and the female cat
stayed to guard it while her male partner went back to tell the
good news. So worried was she that the goblet might go missing
again, that she wound her tail tightly around its stem and it
became permanently kinked. For days and nights she sat watching
over the prized goblet, never letting her eyes wander away, and by
the time her partner returned, her eyes had developed a squint.
Later she produced a litter of kittens – all of which had kinked
tails and squints, because of her vigilance in guarding the lost
treasure.
Another fable relates to a Siamese princess who, fearing that her
rings would be stolen, entrusted her Siamese cat to guard them,
placing them on its tail for safekeeping overnight. One night, the
cat fell asleep, and all the rings fell off her long slender tail
and were lost forever. The princess decided to tie a knot in the
tail to stop this ever happening again. And this could be another
reason why Siamese have kinked tails.
Siamese kittens have always been highly prized. It was considered
an honor for any foreigner to be presented with one of the Royal
Cats of Siam, and it was an offence punishable by death for one of
these cats to be stolen from the royal court, let alone be taken
out of Siam. But, westwards they eventually came, and after many
generations of selective breeding are now, along with Persian
Long-hairs and Burmese, among the most popular of pedigree
varieties.
Siamese were originally a pale milky colour, with dark seal-colored
points on the paws, face, ears and tail. They have been known in
this form for more than 200 years. In the late nineteenth century
a blue-point was recorded in the United Kingdom, but it is likely
that this recessive colour had been around for some time before
this. Perhaps it was not so highly priced in Siam (today
Thailand), and was ‘swept under the carpet’ as the rich seal-point
variety was more highly prized. Over the years, dedicated breeders
have worked hard to produce other colour variations in Siamese,
but their names vary between the United Kingdom and North America.
We now have, not only Seal- and Blue-points, but Chocolate and
Lilac (aka in USA as frost point), as well as the Red, Cream-
Tortie- and Tabby points (aka in USA as Colorpoint Shorthairs)
Character and Temperament
Siamese are typical of the Oriental group of cats and, like their
near relations the Burmese, are a vocal breed with outgoing
personalities. They are the kind of cat that you either adore or
hate; they can be noisy and demanding and have a real need top be
part of the family. To aficionados, these are the plus points and
they would not wish for the Siamese to be any other way. A Siamese
does not like to be left on its own, so for anybody who is out at
work all day, and only wants one cat; this is not the breed to
select. If you want a cat that will give you life-long devotion,
however then the Siamese is for you!
Type and Standard of Points.
Regardless of coat colour, the type of the cat should be the same,
although standards do vary a little between those required in the
UK by the GCCF and those of the various American cat fancies.
(also note that the Oriental is a Siamese showing full body colour
not hiding its colour under a white oat and in all aspects are
further fully the same.)
In general, the Siamese should be a medium-sized cat; long, slim,
lithe and elegant, but with a definite muscular feel to it.
Despite its fine bone structure (compared with the more heavily
built British Shorthairs) it should be sturdy and feel much
heavier than it appears. At the other end of the scale, it should
never be obviously overweight to the point that it feels flabby,
although some neuters can be prone to fat and a careful watch
should be kept on their diet.
Looking at the cat face-on, the head should give the appearance of
a triangle topped by large, low-set, wide-spaced ears, tapering
down to a pointed muzzle.
In profile, the nose should be straight without any sign of a
break or stop. The jaw should be firm without being either under-
over-shot. The eyes should be almond-shaped with the typical
Oriental slant giving that inscrutable expression and certainly
without any trace of a squint. Whatever the coat colour, the eyes
should always be of deepest sapphire-blue. The tail should be
long, slender and tapering to a whip-like end; an kink or
malformation is considered a serious fault. The tail should always
be in proportion to the length of the cat – a rough guideline is
that it should just reach the tip of the shoulder blade.
The quality, texture and the restrictive pattern of coat are what
make the Siamese different from other shorthaired varieties. The
coat should be short, sleek and fine-textured, with the fur lying
close to the body. The colored points should only be seen on the
mask area of the face, the ears, legs and tail. It is considered a
fault for the cat to be mis-marked with lighter colors in these
areas, especially around the eyes; these are commonly called
‘spectacles’. Conversely, darker shading is frowned upon on the
otherwise paler parts of the body.
The Siamese coat pattern is restricted to the cooler parts of the
body and so, if a cat has had an operation such as spaying it is
quite likely that the post-operational shock will cause the coat
to temporarily darken in that area. For the same reason, Siamese
living in warmer climates tend to have paler coats than those
living in cooler regions. The pointed areas should always show a
uniform colour with no barring or stripes, except in the case of
Tabby-points, where rings or stripes are required, and the Torties,
which should show a well mingled coat (only in points).
Written by Roeleen Bloemhof –
MISTBESQUE SIAMESE AND ORIENTAL CATTERY
(based on The Essential Cat Book by Paddy Cutts)
|
 |
|
 |
|
CREAM POINT |
|
BLUE POINT |
|
 |
|
 |
|
SEAL POINT |
|
LILAC POINT |
|
 |
|
 |
|
CHOCOLATE TORTOISE POINT |
|
SEAL TABBY POINT |
|
From Left to right:
SP CH La MASKA MY FABIOLA RQ NW BLUE TORTIE POINT
TR SP CH ROAR’N MARCO POLO NQ – CREAM POINT
JANGAR AMANTE DEI MEDICI OF MISTBESQUE IMP AUST - SEAL TABBY POINT
TOPANGA TIGER DOOLEY OF MISTBESQUE – SEAL POINT
Thank you to
MISTBESQUE SIAMESE AND ORIENTAL CATTERY
for providing these beautiful photos.
Siamese Profile, Written by Roeleen
Bloemhof –
MISTBESQUE SIAMESE AND ORIENTAL CATTERY
(based on The Essential Cat Book by Paddy Cutts)
|
|
Ratings out of 10 |
|
Compatibility:
-Children
-Other Pets
|
5 |
|
Grooming |
2 |
|
Affection |
9 |
|
Playfulness |
10 |
|
Attention Need |
10 |
|
Healthiness |
5 |
|
Independence |
1 |
|
Activity Level |
10 |
|
Vocality |
10 |
|
Intelligence |
10 |
| |
|
|
